AMBASSADOR GALT: I am delighted to mark the opening of the 7th Annual National Museums Conference in Mongolia.
This is the ideal venue to celebrate the achievements of the “Documentation of the Collections of the National Museum of Mongolia” project, which was funded by the United States Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Although I am unable to attend in person, I am honored to share this occasion with you virtually.
I would like to recognize the distinguished guests from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Sports, and provincial governmental officials.
I would like to thank “Documentation of the Collections of the National Museum of Mongolia” project leads Dr. Julia Clarke, Cultural Heritage Program Coordinator of the American Center for Mongolian Studies, Ms. Sandra Vanderwarf, a Research Fellow at the Center, and Dr. D. Sukhbaatar, Director of the National Museum of Mongolia.
I would also like to thank the hard working staff on the joint project team for all their efforts, without which this project would not have been possible.
This U.S.-Mongolia cooperative project underscores the strong partnership that we recognize this year as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of U.S.-Mongolia diplomatic relations.
The “Documentation of the Collections of the National Museum of Mongolia” project marks an important step forward in the preservation of the cultural heritage of Mongolia.
Since November 2016, the project team has catalogued over 40,000 of the museum’s 58,000 cultural artifacts representing a wide swath of Mongolian and pre-Mongolian history – a truly remarkable achievement.
Through introduction of an internationally recognized barcode inventory system, the project team has helped modernize the conservation methods by which Mongolian museums can safeguard Mongolia’s many national treasures.
I am also delighted that the project’s training workshop component is taking place today at this conference so that the knowledge and expertise gained from the practitioners can be shared with all museums in Mongolia.
Best wishes to all for a productive conference.
Thank you.
